COLUSA, CA (MPG) – Colusa County Community Advocates for Parents and Children hosted the annual Children’s Memorial Flag Day ceremony on April 25 at the Colusa County Courthouse. The tradition each fourth Friday of April serves to honor children lost to violence and encourage conversations about grief and the need of families and communities for understanding and support.
Devin Lombardi, who spent years advocating for the rights of other victims and keeping youthful offenders in jail, spoke on behalf of herself as the younger sister of 16-year-old Eric Ingebretsen, who was violently murdered in 1997 by his childhood best friends, Leo Contreras, who has since been released from prison, and Nathan Ramazzini, who confessed decades after the crime to instigating the murder.
Lombardi was 13 years old when her brother’s body was found in a wooded area north of Colusa two days after he did not return home from his job at Holiday Market.
Lombardi said the pain from grief has lessened over time, but the loss of Eric and the impact it made on her and her family was never forgotten; it became part of her being and part of who she is.
“The shock of it was so incomprehensible at such a tender developmental age that it altered me in ways that I couldn’t fully grasp until decades into adulthood,” Lombardi said.
A few dozen people attended the ceremony on the west lawn of the Colusa County Courthouse, where a red flag with blue and white paper doll-like characters was raised to highlight child protection and family support.
“The flag we raise is more than just a symbol,” said Morgan Cotter, CAPC program coordinator. “It’s a reminder of our shared responsibility to create safe, nurturing environments where all children can grow and thrive.”
Children’s Memorial Day culminated the activities that occurred locally and across the nation throughout April during Children Abuse Prevention Month. The Colusa County Board of Supervisors on April 8 adopted a formal proclamation recognizing the observances and activities in April that raised awareness about child abuse, neglect, and violence but also gave citizens the opportunity to reflect on the tragedy of such crimes.
“I think if you were to ask people in our community to recall a time or incident that really shocks everyone, I think, without a doubt, it would be the tragic murder of Eric Ingebretsen,” said Colusa Police Lt. Sara Martin. “Eric was a well-loved and liked guy. I have heard a lot about him over the years.”
Martin introduced Lombardi at the ceremony, saying that families affected by violence never truly find closure, even when perpetrators are punished.
“It’s a wound that is always there and it’s indescribable.” Martin said. “But in those moments that you have that grief – that anger about what happened – there are times that it can be motivating and encourage people to step forward, not just to carry on that victim’s memory, but to be a changemaker. I think in Eric’s case, that certainly was true.”
The memorial observance at the courthouse allowed those in attendance to support the families of victims of violent crimes, including Erik’s parents, Gerry and Valerie Ingebretsen, who attended the ceremony.
Barbara Hankins, a decades-long member of CAPC’s Child Abuse Prevention Council, said she was excited about the Child Abuse Prevention Month’s 2025 theme, “It Takes a Village,” which highlights the active coordination among local agencies and volunteers to decrease incidences of child abuse and violence through prevention and support programs.
“It’s not just one person,” Hankins said. “It takes all of us to keep our kids safe and our community safe. We just have to keep working on it harder and harder.”
And after 27 years of denial, anger, bargaining, depression, shame, survivor’s guilt, and resentment; after years of fighting for Erik and advocating for others; and after years of convincing herself to be what people wanted her to be, Lombardi said she has finally taken control of her health, her healing journey, and her identity.
“I gave myself permission to exit the fight for justice,” Lombardi said. “I released the grip that Nathan Ramazzini had on me, and, at last, I was able to find that final stage of grief: acceptance…I still think about Eric daily, but I try to replace thoughts of his murder with memories of the love we shared for 13 really fun years in the acceptance stage of grief.”